Rofuto

On Saturday Laura and I were lucky enough to be invited to the soft launch event of Rofuto. Rofuto is a new restaurant and bar that serves modern Japanese food, stylish cocktails, unique sake and a wide range of white wines. It boasts fantastic views of the city from the restaurant and the Karabu bar (the views from the toilet are also worth spending a penny for!) We were told that the Karabu bar will soon play host to guest and resident DJs which will surely help it become one of Birmingham's hottest venues. We traveled up to the restaurant via the restaurants own entrance on the west side of the building. We were met by a smiling waitress who took our coats and led us to the bar in the center of the restaurant. Straight away we were greeted by floor to ceiling windows featuring stunning views of the city. The restaurant has an open kitchen area where you can see sushi being made fresh, a charcoal grill and a large hot plate with chefs preparing food live, I decided to try the Japanese draught beer Kirin Ichiban which was served in a glass beer mug. Laura chose a Riesling from the impressive selection. The manager came and welcomed us and asked our opinion so far, he also escorted us to a table by the window and presented us with menus. The waitress was clearly knowledgeable about the menu and confidently explained the difference between the different sushi and other ingredients we had not heard of. The menu features Sushi, Yakitori, Tempura as well and a selection of dishes cooked on the charcoal grill. Laura and I ordered 3 starters between us, Laura had the Beef Kushiyaki with Caramel Soy, I chose the Grilled Octopus with Rocket and Pine Salad and we also had a Salt and Pepper Squid between us. 

All 3 starters were presented really attractively.  Laura's Beef Kushiyaki was sticky and sweet and had a lovely flavour, however the meat was quite dry which we were slightly disappointed with, nevertheless the soy sauce that was provided added moisture.  My octopus was fantastic, it was was soft and smokey and was complimented really well with the fresh rocket and crunchy earthy pine nuts. The salt and pepper squid was my favourite, the batter was light and crisp and the soft squid was soft and chewy. There was a subtle taste of coriander and lime running through the batter. The squid was quite difficult to cut with chopsticks so we ended up tearing it apart! We completely cleaned all 3 plates and ordered more drinks. Laura went for another wine and I chose the Hitachino White Ale, which was made with orange peel, coriander and nutmeg.

For our main courses Laura chose the Chicken Katsu Curry and I had the Saffron Miso Black Cod with Razor Clams. The Cod was served to a very high standard and looked beautiful. It was very colourful which really stood out against the black dish. The cod itself was cooked to perfection, slightly sticky on the outside and wonderfully soft and flaky. The rich saffron and miso sauce was delicious and had a wonderful depth. The razor clam was soft and chewy and coated with the miso sauce. It was definitely one of the best seafood dishes I have ever eaten. I would 100% recommend this excellent dish. Laura's Katsu was also very good. Crispy succulent chicken with a rich creamy curry sauce, with scented fluffy rice.

We were given 50% off all of our food, but I would have paid full price for all of the dishes. The food and drink were both excellent. The service was also brilliant, all staff were polite and friendly and were knowledgeable about the the drink and food. It is well worth the trip to the end of Broad St to sample the high quality food and drink and excellent view. Facebook / Twitter